Study or Love?
by MelodicMadness
Summary: Researchers are always busy with their work, but that doesn't mean that they can't create time for other things. RichterxAster.


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Author's Note: Just a short one-shot experimenting with the pairing of Richter and Aster. It's hard since you don't actually get to know Aster, so, I just winged his personality… I sure hope it works.

Disclaimer: Richter and Aster belong to someone other than me.

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_Study or Love?_

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"Come on, don't you think you've been studying long enough?" a young male's voice called out to his research companion. The one being addressed slowly pulled his face out of the book he was reading and looked over at his friend.

He smiled as he replied, "And don't you think you haven't been studying enough? Maybe I'm just making up for your lost work. Ever thought of that?" Setting the voluminous book down on his desk, he lifted himself from the chair and fully set all of his attention on the boy in front of him.

"Oh, Richter. Stop joking around. I've been working almost as hard as you!" the other researcher, Aster, argued. And what he said was true; the two had been researching late into many nights and even neglected proper nourishment.

Richter chuckled, flinging his blood-red bangs away from his eyes to see Aster more clearly. "I know, and we're doing a splendid job. But…" he paused as a question came to his mind. "Why are you so concerned? I always study this much, don't I?"

For a reason unknown to Richter, his young friend suddenly became flustered and hesitated with his reply, "O-oh, well, you know… Sometimes you get _too_ caught up in your work. I just…" His words trailed off when Richter began to chuckle. "Um… Richter?"

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever say that."

"Say… what?" Aster's green eyes nervously examined Richter as he spoke.

He chuckled again and placed his hand to his forehead, as if to decide on a sentence in his head. This hand gesture forced his friend to become even more perplexed as he titled his head to the side. Richter continued. "Well… that you miss me, I suppose."

"Richter, I…" The young, emerald-eyed man replied, his gaze switching over to focus on the stone floor beneath him. His words floundered about in his mouth as they rearranged themselves into the proper sentence order. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to distract you from important work with my selfish needs…"

"That's not true." His voice was stern, almost irritated. Richter walked over to Aster and forced their eyes to meet by pulling the younger man's face upwards. He did this with care, though, showing Aster that he held no anger at all. "Don't tell yourself that, and don't apologize." Stopping abruptly, he realized just how close he had pulled Aster's face to his. His breath brushed against the flushed cheeks of the younger one, reflecting back in his own face. The blonde, too, noticed not only the restricted space between each other's faces, but the familiarity between their lab-coated bodies.

Neither made an effort to pull away from the other, though. Instead, Aster felt compelled to say what he felt should have been said a while ago. "Richter… I know I probably should have told you at first, but… I…" Of course, that did not mean he had the courage to announce it.

His efforts to speak were easily defeated when Richter continued what he wanted to say with a kiss on the lips. His thin arms wrapped themselves around the taller man, pulling him the closest he had ever been. A reddish color overtook the normal color of his cheeks, but even this burning sensation did not stop the sacred moment between the two.

After a few more seconds, the two quietly pulled away from each other, searching for what to say. Richter almost voiced something, but ended up shyly looking away. Aster would do the same, but with more bashful gestures, such as multiple blinks and tiny, frustrated grunts.

Even more seconds, or perhaps it was minutes, passed before the shorter researcher broke the silence.

"I guess this is where I say… I love you. And I always have. I just never wanted to-," his sentence fell short when Richter smiled and placed a finger over his mouth to gently quiet him.

"I love you, too. Let's leave it at that for now."

A childish grin spread itself across Aster's face, but he had no objections as he embraced his love again. A book rested open on a nearby desk, but for once, not a single soul within the room was reading it.

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Told you it was short. Reviews, pretty please?


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